Tag: michael bisping

UFC 161 Video Preview: Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping Full Fight Video

One thing that has eluded Dan Henderson through his storied mixed martial arts career is a UFC title. If Henderson ever hopes to claim that prize, he’ll need to get past Rashad Evans at UFC 161. Henderson (29-9) had been booked to face Jones in t…

One thing that has eluded Dan Henderson through his storied mixed martial arts career is a UFC title. If Henderson ever hopes to claim that prize, he’ll need to get past Rashad Evans at UFC 161.

Henderson (29-9) had been booked to face Jones in the main event of the ill-fated UFC 151 fight card, but a knee injury knocked him out of the event. After Jones opted to not fight Chael Sonnen on short notice, the card was scrapped—a UFC first.

Through a career that began in 1997, Henderson has racked up 13 knockout victories while never being on the receiving end of a knockout loss. Some of those knockouts have been more memorable than others, but if you asked 100 MMA fans to name the top knockout of Henderson’s career, odds are that the majority would say it was Henderson’s UFC 100 knockout of Michael Bisping.

Henderson and Bisping had coached Season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter before UFC 100 and had developed a nice level of animosity. Most of the hatred was born from the relentless trash talk from Bisping, trash talk that Henderson vowed to end by shutting Bisping’s mouth with his fist.

We know now that Henderson was only partially able to accomplish that feat. When Bisping circled directly into the powerful right hand of Henderson, Bisping fell to his back out cold, only to be followed to the ground by the leaping Henderson who landed another strike to the supine Bisping. 

The brutal knockout earned Henderson “Knockout of the Night” honors, but as we know, only temporarily stopped Bisping’s trash talk. 

On June 15, Henderson will look to end Evans’ night in spectacular fashion. Anything less and the 42-year-old Henderson may never get the chance to claim UFC gold.

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Cung Le Wants a UFC Bout vs. Michael Bisping Next, Bisping Says He’ll Fight Him

More often than not, some of the easiest UFC matches to make are the ones where both fighters are already talking about each other.That’s exactly what’s happening right now with Cung Le and Michael Bisping.Both international headliners recently spoke t…

More often than not, some of the easiest UFC matches to make are the ones where both fighters are already talking about each other.

That’s exactly what’s happening right now with Cung Le and Michael Bisping.

Both international headliners recently spoke to ESPN about the possibility of facing each other in the Octagon during a future event, and both men are reportedly into the idea.

As Le states, he has a few fights left on his contract that would be ripe for “high-profile” opponents, but he would also do a coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter:

“I’d like to have high-profile fights and a shot at coaching on TUF, whether it’s here [in the United States] or in China, wherever,” said Le, who has won two fights in a row. “I have a few more fights and they should be good fights for me.

“I’m not going to accept just any fight, and at this point in my career I don’t have to. I’ve worked hard to be where I am. I’ve had a few setbacks, but other than that, I’m just going to heal up and whatever happens, happens.”

When asked about the likelihood of that match, Bisping also told ESPN that he would be on-board with the idea, especially since Le is “on a two-fight win streak” and “just knocked out Rich Franklin.”

In addition to his star power—drawn from acting roles in films like “Bodyguards and Assassins”, “Tekken” and “Dragon Eyes”—Le also carries the distinction of being a former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, a title he held briefly prior to joining the UFC.

Le isn’t the only fighter to call out Bisping, who is coming off a controversial UFC 159 win over Alan Belcher due to a technical decision caused by an eye poke.

Luke Rockhold, the last Strikeforce middleweight to hold the defunct company’s title, also called out Bisping via Twitter, despite being knocked out by Vitor Belfort just days ago:

However, that grudge match is likely on ice for now.

Bisping was quick to retort to Rockhold’s challenge, sardonically suggesting that his rival should win a fight in the UFC before calling him out:

Since joining the UFC, Le and Rockhold have both severed as headliners for events outside of the United States, with Le headlining the UFC’s first card in China during UFC on Fuel TV 6.

Rockhold found himself a fish out of water in his title eliminator against Belfort, though, competing outside the United States for the first time in his career at UFC on FX 8.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist. His work has appeared in NVision, PC World, Macworld, GamePro, 1UP, MMA Mania and The L.A. Times.

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Costa Philippou Says If Michael Bisping Wants a Proven UFC Winner, Step on Up

Costa Philippou is gunning for a fight when he returns later this year, and he couldn’t think of a better opponent to face than perennial UFC bad boy Michael Bisping. Philippou was most recently scheduled for UFC on FX 8 in a bout against Ronaldo “Jaca…

Costa Philippou is gunning for a fight when he returns later this year, and he couldn’t think of a better opponent to face than perennial UFC bad boy Michael Bisping.

Philippou was most recently scheduled for UFC on FX 8 in a bout against Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, but the New York-based fighter suffered a deep cut during training that forced him out of the bout. 

Now with the wound almost healed, Philippou has one name on his radar, and he’s doing everything in his power to make the fight happen.

“He’s a huge name, obviously beating Bisping it would put me in the top three, and it works for Bisping too because beating me, it will get him up in the top of the ranks. Maybe give him a title shot. I don’t have the name that Bisping has, but I have five wins in a row. He’s never had five wins in a row, so I think it would benefit him too,” Philippou told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.  “He’s a great striker, so am I, so I think it would be an exciting fight for the fans.”

Throughout his time with the UFC, Philippou has been a worker inside the cage but never one to speak out of turn about opponents or trash talk before a fight. He knows calling out Bisping will certainly get him in the crosshairs of one of the most prolific promoters the sport of MMA has ever known, but he’s ready for whatever verbal jabs the Brit throws at him.

He promises that no matter what Bisping says, it won’t get to him like it has against some past opponents.

“I understand why he does it, and at the end of the day it’s just business. If he chooses to do that, I’m game, not a big deal. I’ll go right back at him,” Philippou said. “At the end of the day it would be me and him in the cage and I honestly feel I can take him.

“He is a great fighter, nobody can deny that, nobody can take that away from him. I don’t know if you’re weak mentally and you allow him to get to you, I don’t know what to say. I don’t think he can get to me mentally, I’m stronger than anybody else mentally. That’s not an issue for me. He can talk as much as he wants.”

There was already some talking from Bisping earlier on Tuesday when he responded to another call-out from former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, who asked to fight him next in the Octagon. Bisping took a response shot at Rockhold‘s current 0-1 record in the UFC following a knockout loss to Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX 8.

If Bisping is looking for an opponent with UFC wins and ranking, Philippou reminds him that he’s got five wins in a row and currently sits at No. 6 in the world.

“It’s a win-win for everybody. I’m not just anybody, I’m ranked, he can see that. I noticed Luke Rockhold called him out today, but like Bisping said he hasn’t won a single fight in the UFC and he told him to go get a few wins in the UFC and then come back. He can’t really say that about me,” Philippou stated.  

“I’ve been in the UFC for a couple of years and I’ve been winning.  He wants a better opponent, let him step in and prove it.”

Philippou‘s campaign to fight Bisping has officially started, but as of yet he hasn’t heard from the former Ultimate Fighter winner. His hope is that Bisping accepts his challenge and the two can meet in the cage later this year and find out which of them is truly an elite middleweight in the UFC.

“I’m waiting,” Philippou said about Bisping. “Hopefully he’s going to get back to me soon and we’ll set that up. I’m willing to fight him anywhere he wants. I’ll go to England if he wants.”

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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Michael Bisping Tells Luke Rockhold to Win a UFC Fight Before Calling Him Out

At one time not long ago, Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold were training partners helping each other prepare for fights. Now there appears to be a growing rivalry between the two middleweight contenders. It was back in December 2012 when Rockhold’s na…

At one time not long ago, Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold were training partners helping each other prepare for fights. Now there appears to be a growing rivalry between the two middleweight contenders.

It was back in December 2012 when Rockhold‘s name was brought up to Bisping while he was doing an interview with MMA Uncensored Live about some of the champions from Strikeforce being brought in as No. 1 contenders on day one in the UFC.

Bisping, who has a wealth of UFC experience, took exception to that idea and even divulged a little inside info about his training sessions with the best middleweight in Strikeforce.

“Let me put it like this, I’ve sparred with Luke Rockhold recently and let’s just say I’m the unofficial Strikeforce champion,” said Bisping.  “These are the facts.”

Needless to say, Rockhold didn’t enjoy hearing that from Bisping, but at that point he was still in Strikeforce awaiting the time when he could make his UFC debut. 

Rockhold finally did step into the Octagon earlier this month, but things didn’t go his way because he found himself on the wrong end of a spinning back kick from Vitor Belfort that sent him crashing to the mat for a knockout loss. 

Now just weeks later, Rockhold is anxious to get back in action and decided to take to Twitter to make a challenge to Bisping to perhaps see who really would win if the two competitors faced off in the Octagon.

It didn’t take long for Bisping to answer the challenge—although there’s little doubt it wasn’t the answer Rockhold was looking to hear.

Bisping also fell victim to a head-kick knockout from Belfort back in January, but since that time returned to form with a victory over Alan Belcher at UFC 159 in April.

Typically the UFC doesn’t match up a fighter coming off a win with a fighter coming off a loss anyway, and it appears Bisping isn’t too interested in a fight with Rockhold right now regardless of wins or losses.

Bisping remains one of the top draws in the UFC, and has been gunning for a middleweight title shot for years, falling just short of achieving that dream several times.

Whether Bisping gets Rockhold or another fight, it’s likely the Brit will target a late summer show to return to the UFC with several cards filling up currently for August and September.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

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MMA Meme of the Day: The Vile Declarations of Count Bisping


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Earlier today, we came across this wonderful Michael Bisping photoshop by UG’er JCSUPERMAN, which The Count liked so much that he’s currently using it as his twitter avatar. Indeed, it’s a breathtaking image — and it just begs for the Joseph Ducreux treatment. So, the CagePotato staff decided to turn Bisping’s portrait into the latest MMA meme. Check out more of Bisping’s old-timey trash-talk after the jump, and if you want to take a crack at making your own, grab the original image and post your originals on our Facebook page.


(original quote)


(original quote)

Earlier today, we came across this wonderful Michael Bisping photoshop by UG’er JCSUPERMAN, which The Count liked so much that he’s currently using it as his twitter avatar. Indeed, it’s a breathtaking image — and it just begs for the Joseph Ducreux treatment. So, the CagePotato staff decided to turn Bisping’s portrait into the latest MMA meme. Check out more of Bisping’s old-timey trash-talk after the jump, and if you want to take a crack at making your own, grab the original image and post your originals on our Facebook page.


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Update…and one more new one:


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The Blind Leading the Blind: Eye Pokes in MMA

On Saturday night in Newark, N.J. British fighter, Michael Bisping won a technical decision against Alan Belcher. The contest went to the cards when in the third round  “The Count” struck Belcher in the eye. The fight was anti-climatic and s…

On Saturday night in Newark, N.J. British fighter, Michael Bisping won a technical decision against Alan Belcher. The contest went to the cards when in the third round  “The Count” struck Belcher in the eye. The fight was anti-climatic and showed, once again, that Bisping never lives up to his first round knockout promises. It also showed, once again, that eye-poking is out of control.

The strategy of ignoring the issue has proven ineffectual. The fact that referees almost never take  a point for it and issue an infinite amount of warnings shows how little is being done to curtail this epidemic.

The Unified Rules of MMA rules clearly state that when a fighter commits a foul that renders their opponent unable to continue, they lose via disqualification. Here is the rule as posted on the UFC website:

“If an injury sustained during competition as a result of an intentional foul, as determined by the referee, is severe enough to terminate a bout, the contestant causing the injury loses by disqualification.”

There are numerous fighters who consistently strike with an open hand. Josh Koscheck is an excellent example of that. At what point can we say this is no longer an accident? Bisping threw a left hook and then released his index finger as his fist reached Belcher‘s face and as a result it extended into the eye. 

The Zombie Prophet provided another one of his excellent gifs.

I do not know that Bisping intentionally poked Belcher in the eye. I do believe that he is responsible for his own fingers. I also believe that he knew very well that throwing punches with his outstretched fingers could potentially injure his opponent’s eye. Fighters are taught to punch through their target. It is technically unsound to stretch out the finger as the hand reaches the face. It should be ruled as an intentional foul as he is accountable for his own fingers.

This is the definition of an accident:

Noun

1.  An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.

It is most obviously expected that one would be struck by a finger to the eye when it is thrown at someone’s face. However, not only are points not being deducted, but these fouls are being classified as accidental. In some cases, they are not even being called. Kevin Burns infamously defeated Anthony Johnson in such a manner.  

Often fighters say they are OK to continue and compete with a disadvantage for the remainder of the contest. Again, benefiting the one breaking the rules.

GSP had to defend his title with one eye after Jake Shields eye-poked him in a horrifically blatant eye strike. The interpretation of the rules by referees is definitely favoring those who  break the rules.

If an injury sustained during competition as a result of an accidental foul, as determined by the referee, is severe enough for the referee to stop the bout immediately, the bout shall result in a technical decision awarded to the contestant who is ahead on the score cards at the time the bout is stopped only when the bout is stopped after two rounds of a three round bout, or three rounds of a five round bout have been completed.

Bisping, in all probability, would have won the fight regardless of the bout going to the cards for a Technical Decision but it does not make it right. It also does not do anything to help Alan Belcher who had just returned to MMA after retina surgery to repair his eye.

These are intentional strikes. Nobody is slipping on banana peels and having their fingers randomly end up in someone’s eyes. These are the best martial artists on the planet. They are jabbing their fingers at their opponent’s face against all coaching and they are benefiting from it.

People have suggested modifications to the gloves. This is logical but they must not be designed to hinder the grappler who depends on using their fingers for grips. Some have suggested soft-shelled goggles. I believe that referees deducting points and issuing disqualifications are the place to start.

It would also seem prudent for the UFC and other organizations to impose penalties on fighters who eye-poke. Suspensions and banning for repeat offenders would be logical steps to protect fighters and promote safety. Referees need to begin deducting points consistently and early in the fight and rule the pokes as intentional. Until then, the advantage shall remain with the eye-pokers.

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